Christendom

''A fascinating story about a religion in a surprisingly precarious position'' Dan Jones, Sunday Times

''Superb storytelling ... captivating and profound'' Literary Review

''A page-turner'' The Spectator

*A major new reinterpretation of Christendom, by one of our foremost medieval historians*

In the fourth century AD, a new faith exploded out of Palestine. Overwhelming the paganism of Rome, and converting the Emperor Constantine in the process, it resoundingly defeated a host of other rivals. Almost a thousand years later, all of Europe was controlled by Christian rulers, and the religion, ingrained within culture and society, exercised a monolithic hold over its population. But, as Peter Heather shows in this compelling new history, there was nothing inevitable about Christendom''s rise to Europe-wide dominance.

In exploring how the Christian religion became such a defining feature of the European landscape, and